Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus” friends on this Tuesday;
When you think of the various miraculous things the Holy Spirit of God does in us human beings, I wonder if your list includes “miraculous transportation”? What?
Yesterday I left you with Philip and the African official who was responsible for the treasury of Ethiopia! Philip had been explaining Isaiah 53 to this African official, who was a devout worshiper of God, but he knew nothing about Jesus the Messiah until he met Philip. The African official had evidently believed all Philip had explained and he requested to be baptized as a public declaration of his trust in Jesus as his Savior & Messiah. (Acts 8:36)
Do you see the work of the Holy Spirit in this African official?
First, the Holy Spirit had given him a desire to travel all the way from Ethiopia to Jerusalem to worship God at the Jewish Temple. (Acts 8:27)
Second, the Holy Spirit had given him a hunger for God’s Word, and we first meet this official as he is reading the scroll of Isaiah the prophet. (Acts 8:30)
Third, the Holy Spirit led Philip away from a significant spiritual great awakening in Samaria (Acts 8:5-8) to the desert road south of Jerusalem and this encounter with the African official. (Acts 8:26,27)
Fourth, the Holy Spirit directed and emboldened Philip to engage conversation with this African official and offer to explain the Scriptures to him even though they were obviously very different men in social status, ethnicity and culture. (Acts 8:30,31)
Fifth, the Holy Spirit opened the mind of the African official to understand Philip’s explanation of the Scriptures. Pause. I’ve often wondered what language Philip was speaking so the Ethiopian could understand him? That too may have been a work of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:35)
Sixth, the Holy Spirit stirred a hunger to be baptized in the heart of the African official. (Acts 8:36)
And now, are you ready for this? Do you see in Acts 8:39 what the Holy Spirit did with Philip? “When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared in Azotus and traveled about preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea!” (Acts 8:39,40) Ok my friends, what do you think that means?
We understand there is a power of God which sends angels from heaven to earth and they appear here; they communicate their message or accomplish the task for which God sent them; and then they disappear and return back to heaven. (Hebrews 1:14; Luke 2:8-15) We also understand God allowed deceased Elijah and Moses to appear very briefly with transfigured Jesus on the mountain as Peter, James and John witnessed God the Father declaring His approval over His Son, Jesus, and ordering the disciples to “Listen to Him.” (Matt. 17:5) And, of course, we know resurrected Jesus appeared and disappeared several times, in several different places, during the 40 days between His resurrection and His ascension. (Acts 1:3)
But this miracle with Philip is different, isn’t it? Philip is not an angel, he’s not deceased and he’s not Jesus. Philip is a normal, living person like you and me, and yet the Holy Spirit of God physically, bodily, transported Philip from that water place alongside the road, from Jerusalem to Gaza, all the way to Azotus. And where is Azotus? Does it have any significance in history or today? Oh, my friends, Azotus of the first century is the modern city of Ashdod in southern Israel. If you’ve followed the news of the past few years, reporters are often in Ashdod reporting on what is happening in Gaza and with Hamas.
But this Ashdod has an even greater historical significance. Do you remember? It was one of the five great cities of the Philistines and was in fact the town to which the Philistines took the Ark of the Covenant when they captured it in battle against the Israelites. (1 Samuel 5:1) The remarkable story of that battle and the decision made by the elders of Israel and High Priest Eli’s sons, to bring the Ark from the Tabernacle to the battlefield, is found in 1 Samuel 4.
When that happened, you may recall the name ‘Ichabod‘ was pronounced by the dying wife of Phinehas, over her newborn son. Why? Because on that day both her husband and his brother Hophni, priests of Israel, were killed in that battle with the Philistines. Also, the high priest Eli died when he heard the news of the capture of the Ark of the Covenant. With her last breaths she said, “The Glory has departed from Israel, for the Ark of God has been captured.” (1 Samuel 4:21,22)
So why do you think the Holy Spirit of God would bring Philip to Azotus (Ashdod)? I think it’s because God loves to lead His courageous ambassadors into the darkest places, bringing the hope available ONLY in Jesus Christ, to the people in those dark places. Philip had proven his passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be proclaimed and his willingness to cross cultural and ethnic barriers to bring the Gospel to those who had not heard it before. We see that in Philip’s going to Samaria (Acts 8:4-8); and his meeting the African official (Acts 8:27-31); and now the Spirit of God bringing Philip to a town which had a history of being fully opposed to the God of Israel! (Acts 8:40)
Pause. What does God see as the work of the Holy Spirit in your heart and mine? What are our passions in life? Do we have a passion to see the name of Jesus honored in the lives of the people we know, and even in places where Jesus is unknown?
Evidently Philip did not sit idle in Azotus. Acts 8:40 tells us Philip did there what he had been doing in Jerusalem and Samaria and even in a chariot on its way from Jerusalem to Ethiopia! Philip shared the story of Jesus and Jesus’ message with anyone who would hear him, there in Azotus but also surrounding towns and villages. Eventually Philip ended up in the great coastal city of Caesarea! This was a multicultural port city, a busy business city, and the regional Roman political and military authority.
Evidently Philip was led by the Holy Spirit to settle there in Caesarea, get married and build a family there. How do I know? Acts 21:8 tells us that about 20 years later a famous visitor showed up at the home of Philip, his wife and their four daughters, in Caesarea. Who was that visitor? None other than the apostle Paul, accompanied by his personal physician Dr. Luke, the author of the book of Acts!
And what do we suppose Philip did in Caesarea during those years? Well, as we’re going to see in Acts 10, the apostle Peter came to the home of Roman centurion Cornelius, and the Holy Spirit opened the hearts of all his family and employees, to the Gospel of Jesus Christ! As Peter returned to Jerusalem, after that amazing experience, I presume it was Philip who became the spiritual leader in Caesarea for the spiritual awakening there!
Oh my, now that my friends is a wonderful example of God accomplishing His strategic plan with ONE willing man, Philip, in three different places over a long period of time! That challenges me, how about you? Is God finding you and me available and ready for Him to accomplish His purposes through our lives in strategic ways?
The “lessons learned” notes below will help us reflect more deeply on this and the worship song, as always, invites us to lift our hearts in praise, and I’ll be here waiting for you tomorrow.
Today’s Scripture: Acts 8:36-40.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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